Notice to Diamond of no longer delivering pool tables.

Smorgass Bored said:
Sadly, this position was just filled by a Real Estate agent.

Doug
( and you should see her carry that slate )
Click to expand...
LOL...she's coming from the right industry in todays market:D
 
Dawgie said:
Don't take questions as a personal attack. They are legitimate questions. Let me add that I've contacted billiard co's and table manuf's. asking them to train me to set up and recover/repairs their tables.

Most gave no response. Some said that they only trained those who already work for a table distributor. What you proclaim to do is going to be one tough job.

Here is my suggestion - Start a travelling school to teach those who would like to learn your trade or to better their own career. See what type of response you get from offering this training.
Click to expand...
Coming in Sept, Diamond Professional and ProAm certification course.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I haven't worked out all the details as of yet, just the location and tables.

Subjects covered will be:

1) Leveling 3 piece slates/Diamond Professionals.

2) Leveling 1 piece slates with Diamond's 26 point leveling system/Diamond ProAms.

3) Seaming slates/Diamond Professionals.

4) Cushion replacement/Diamond Professionals/.

5) Size cutting pockets/Diamond Professionals.

6) Installation of facings/Diamond Professionals.

7) Recovering rails/Diamond Professionals/ProAms.

8) Recovering 1 piece and 3 piece slates using the glueing method/Diamond Professionals/ProAms.

9) Pocket installation/Diamond Professionals/ProAms.

10) Installation of Simonis 860 cloth/Diamond Professionals/ProAms.

This will be after the sale of the DVDs that will be finished and in distribution.


The purpose of this course is to start the first certification program of it's kind. I'm sure you'll all have more questions, but this just to let you know it's coming, and it's going to take place in Mesa, AZ. this September.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Already talked to 25 mechanic's about coming to this training course:D

Glen
 
Glen you started this project\course not Diamond it just happens to be on Diamond tabes first In a pool room that has several different size and style's of Diamond tables @ it's location.

I am still looking forward to going to it in Sept.

Craig Herman
 
I'd like to run several of these kind of training courses around the country, and would need some volunteer pool rooms and bars to hold them, I somehow doubt I'd have much of a hard time finding supporters for these needs:D

In fact, I wouldn't mind taking on the DCC as a training course with Diamond, I mean think about it, all the tables recoved/leveled by say 30-40 technicians all at the same time, think about it for a minute:D I'd be willing to bet that would be the first time in the history of the sport that would have brought that many technicians together at the same time, in the same place...not competing against each other, but working together for the purpose of coming together and straighening out our industry, then ALL being reconized at the DCC for our part.

Glen
 
realkingcobra said:
Coming in Sept, Diamond Professional and ProAm certification course. Glen
Click to expand...

Randy Fromm did a similar thing for the arcade game industry however he didn't call it Midway, Atari, Bally, etc. - he called it the Randy Fromm school. Randy has quit traveling and all of his courses have been set on DVD's.

The certification course (we've talked about this before) is an excellent way to accomplish your goal of bringing the table mechanics trade to a higher level however you endeavor to reach all tables, not just Diamonds.

Now if Diamonds want to fund this course of instruction then I can see their name on it and then you can limit it to Diamond tables. If not I'd suggest you rethink this and label the program with your own name.

.
 
Dartman said:
Randy Fromm did a similar thing for the arcade game industry however he didn't call it Midway, Atari, Bally, etc. - he called it the Randy Fromm school. Randy has quit traveling and all of his courses have been set on DVD's.

The certification course (we've talked about this before) is an excellent way to accomplish your goal of bringing the table mechanics trade to a higher level however you endeavor to reach all tables, not just Diamonds.

Now if Diamonds want to fund this course of instruction then I can see their name on it and then you can limit it to Diamond tables. If not I'd suggest you rethink this and label the program with your own name.

.
Click to expand...
I hear what you're saying Rick, it just so happens that these are all Diamond tables, some of them are the Professionals with 3 piece slates, and some are Professionals with 1 piece slates. So I guess I could call it the King Cobra Billiards training course on "Diamond" professional tables:D

Glen
 
titles

Over at the machine shop I am the negative cylinder specialist.

Hu



watchez said:
I still have to stop everytime I read the words billiard technician.

The receptionist @ my office that feels it is her job to be nosey in everyone's business, worry about when her next break is and thinks that answering the phone is the last on her list of job duties calls herself

The Director of First Impressions​

and even has a sign up on the wall in front of her desk stating as such.
Click to expand...
 
realkingcobra said:
Coming in Sept, Diamond Professional and ProAm certification course.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I haven't worked out all the details as of yet, just the location and tables.

Subjects covered will be:

1) Leveling 3 piece slates/Diamond Professionals.

2) Leveling 1 piece slates with Diamond's 26 point leveling system/Diamond ProAms.

3) Seaming slates/Diamond Professionals.

4) Cushion replacement/Diamond Professionals/.

5) Size cutting pockets/Diamond Professionals.

6) Installation of facings/Diamond Professionals.

7) Recovering rails/Diamond Professionals/ProAms.

8) Recovering 1 piece and 3 piece slates using the glueing method/Diamond Professionals/ProAms.

9) Pocket installation/Diamond Professionals/ProAms.

10) Installation of Simonis 860 cloth/Diamond Professionals/ProAms.

This will be after the sale of the DVDs that will be finished and in distribution.


The purpose of this course is to start the first certification program of it's kind. I'm sure you'll all have more questions, but this just to let you know it's coming, and it's going to take place in Mesa, AZ. this September.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Already talked to 25 mechanic's about coming to this training course:D

Glen
Click to expand...


this is the way foward for industry, more people capable of putting good equipment in pool rooms, bars etc. Raising the standard to a level the customers of those establishments will expect and therefore go to where the best equipment is, no matter how good the equipment is if it isntstalled right it aint worth the space it takes up, Diamond is clearly becomming the #1 commercial table comapany, perhaps they are so for table mechnics need to know what Glen does this will help Diamond and their customers.

After the Diamond equipment is covered there is pleanty of other tables that guys need to learn about, and tricks of the trade.


I hope all this works out for everyone, perhaps Glen can come fix my back.
 
Ed Simmons said:
Glen,
Didn't you resign? Why are you negotiating? Are you not a man of your word?
Click to expand...
I don't know what's going to happen as of yet to tell you the truth, I won't know that until I get back to Diamond, and before I can get back there and park this truck, I still have things I have to get done, like delivering pool tables...because I won't leave my customers hanging, or involve them in this situation. I've always been willing to work with Diamond, that hasn't changed, I'm not saying we can't work things out, I just can't keep doing what I'm doing with the equipment I'm working with. I don't know if Diamond wants me to keep delivering pool tables anymore, maybe they want to go a different direction, who knows, that is their choice. Like I've said all along, I love my job, and can't see doing anything else. I have no fear of being unemployed, that is the least of my concerns, in fact, it's not even a concern, as the only way I could ever be unemployed is if I didn't want to work on pool tables anymore, and wanted to try something new, I don't know what I'd do, but something different. As of right now, I haven't changed my mind as to how I feel about things, but I am open to a different arrangement with Diamond. At this point, I'm not even sure a new/used truck would change that, not without some kind of a direction to work in. I like facing new challenges, setting new goals, delivering and setting up pool tables for me is kind of like child's play. Working with billiards technicians all over the country, now that would be exciting, and challenging, as well as personally rewarding to me, that I like.

I'd really like going to meet other technicians that are suppose to be the "Best" in the industry, just to see what makes them suppose to be so good, I think that would be fun. Replacing cushions and tightening pockets, leveling and recovering pool tables for the most part is boring, as I've been doing this for 25 years, but meeting new people, new customers, that I like a lot. I like the relationship I build with every customer I come into contact with.

I've even at times, stoped at the store and bought food for dinner and cooked at some of their houses, while working on their pool tables:D kind of a sneaky way of getting a home cooked meal if you know what I mean:D

I've spent Thanksgiving dinners with family's I didn't know, until I showed up with their pool table, Christmas as well, even got a present once.

If what I do was just a business, I'd run it like a business, but it's not. This is my life, and what I do with it, and love doing, not everything is about the money!

When I first met Greg Sullivan, the owner of Diamond, back in March of 2000, I didn't know how things were going to unfold. He had a problem with the batteries lasting in the coin-operated pool tables he was trying to design at the time, and I had the answer to fix that problem. I made a choice to fix that problem at the moment, not knowing how things would turn out. I didn't charge Greg for redesigning his cue ball separator, I did it for nothing because it was a challenge. Later that year, I had another choice to make, and that was what to do about designing a new coin-operated pool table for Greg, because in the direction they were going, as stubborn as Greg is, I felt I could help. We've all had some ruff times in life at one time or another, and at this point, this was one of the ruff times with Diamond. Greg let me know up front, that they couldn't afford to pay me for the design of my coin-operated pool tables, so I had another decision to make...was this personal, or was this business!;) I decided to make it personal, and offered my knowledge of the coin-operated pool table industry and the design of my King Cobra pool tables for free, if they wanted to hire me as a consultant to Diamond, and I'd work with them and the factory to get this "Smart Table" designed and built, so we formed a relationship at that time that we still share today.

I'm not the easiest person to work with, let me tell you that right now:D Scratching backs has gone both ways between Diamond and myself trust me, they've helped me out as well over the years. What an experience is all I can say. I'd bend over backward for Diamond any day of the week, they DO build the best tables in the world in their ProAm line up of tables, their Professionals are catching up, little joke there:D

And here's some points for Greg and Chad:D I'm not the most reliable person when it comes to being on time;) IT"S NOT ALWAYS MY FAULT, but most of the time it is, as I have a tendency to spend to much time at a location setting up a pool table..."BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE PERFECT, AND I'M NOT LEAVING UNTIL IT IS":D I guess I could have waited until I got back to Diamond to shut this truck off, and let them try starting it after it's been sitting all night, instead of making it public here on AZ, but I did what I did, and won't take it back. If I screw up, I own it, no one else does, just me, that's the way I am!

So, I guess what ever final decisions I make will be once I've returned to the factory, and we've all had a chance to sit down and talk about things, and things to come;) Hell, I don't know, maybe I've just been doing this job for way to long, and should get out of it and go fishing:D

Glen
 
realkingcobra said:
I hear what you're saying Rick, it just so happens that these are all Diamond tables, some of them are the Professionals with 3 piece slates, and some are Professionals with 1 piece slates. So I guess I could call it the King Cobra Billiards training course on "Diamond" professional tables:D Glen
Click to expand...

You know what I'm saying - take credit for what you do.
If a company wants to fund or sponsor a course of instruction then I can see their name on it - otherwise it's all you.

When you get a minute ring me up for some other ideas on this.

.
 
Glen...This is, imo, a very solid concept. The only addition/change I would suggest, is that you should pay the cost of the insurance premium (under their umbrella policy)...it is, after all, your truck. The network of qualified installers is very marketable, and doable, I would think. I'm not sure why you need Diamond's support or permission to create this network, though. Good idea here...

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

realkingcobra said:
I would be willing to buy the truck, meaning if Diamond wants to finance it, I'll make the payments, until the truck is paid for, in which case it would belong to me in the end. Second. Which means, I would be responsible for any and all repairs for maintaining the truck out of my pocket. I would require however that Diamond maintain the truck under the umbrella of their insurance policy as insurance for a single truck, with as many miles as I drive, and the expense of the equipment I transport, the insurance would be to outrageous for a single truck.

BUT, the only way I'd be willing to do this is if Diamond would agree to some of the following things.

As I have always blamed the cloth manufactures, and pool table manufactures for the lack of expertise in my field of work, because they've always had the thought process that their obligation to their product stops once someone has bought it, unless its defective in some way, they've never made an effort to insure their products are maintained after the fact of the sale, this includes ALL manufactures in this type of industry as far as I'm concerned.

If I need to prove my point, I can have customers calling up asking who the manufactures recommend to service tables in their area.

So, if Diamond is willing, within the next 2 years, I'll build a support network of at least 100 billiards technicians that can not only pick up Diamond tables for distribution, but also service the said tables for years after the sale, as to insure that the Diamond tables are going to be maintained to the highest level possible, but this is not limited to Diamond tables alone, this is my industry, and feel strongly that a technician has to be able to work on all types of tables built, not just Diamonds;)

In the course of delivering your tables, I'll post my routs in advance, and ask for the assistance of all those technicians that would like hands on training working with the installations of Diamond tables, and will in turn, pay them the setup price of them installations out of my delivery charges, in my effort to pull together the technicians in this country to insure that there are more of us trained to give better service to the customers AFTER the sale of what ever tables the customers purchase.

And to all those technicians that feel they have nothing left to learn, I guess you could always post $1,000 and we can find out about that on 1 Valley, 1 Brunswick GC, and 1 Diamond 9ft ProAm with the 26 point leveling system;)

It's my goals to pull together the billiards technicians in this country for the betterment of this industry one way or another, as that is the last goal I have set for myself to Finnish before I retire to doing nothing but fishing:D

Diamond, I know you care with all your hearts about your tables after they've been sold, but at the same time, you also know there's not much you can do about it, but there is something I can do, and I will do it.

So, I'm willing to continue giving my support to you, if you're willing to support my efforts to create a network of technicians to help FIX this problem of "less than knowledgeable" billiards technicians in this country.

I would really like to be able to just pick the tables up, head out, and meet up with technicians all around the country and have them doing the installs, I think that would be the best for all concerned. Then in 2 years, all you or anyone else needs to do...is play driver, and I think there's a lot of truck drivers out here that would love a job like this, just drive and meet up with the technicians, and drop off...and on to the next drop off point...it's easy, and trucking takes place everyday:D

Glen, the Realkingcobra:D
Click to expand...
 
watchez...LOL! My wife's business card, for our "business", says "Traveling College of Billiard Knowledge, Dean of Navigation." :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

watchez said:
I still have to stop everytime I read the words billiard technician.

The receptionist @ my office that feels it is her job to be nosey in everyone's business, worry about when her next break is and thinks that answering the phone is the last on her list of job duties calls herself

The Director of First Impressions​

and even has a sign up on the wall in front of her desk stating as such.
Click to expand...
 
Scott Lee said:
Glen...This is, imo, a very solid concept. The only addition/change I would suggest, is that you should pay the cost of the insurance premium (under their umbrella policy)...it is, after all, your truck. The network of qualified installers is very marketable, and doable, I would think. I'm not sure why you need Diamond's support or permission to create this network, though. Good idea here...

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...
I could go along with that, if Diamond was willing to kick me back say, $250.00 for every table I cause the sale of:D

Glen
 
Scott Lee said:
Glen...This is, imo, a very solid concept. The only addition/change I would suggest, is that you should pay the cost of the insurance premium (under their umbrella policy)...it is, after all, your truck. The network of qualified installers is very marketable, and doable, I would think. I'm not sure why you need Diamond's support or permission to create this network, though. Good idea here...

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...
One part of the reason I need Diamond's support, is because I at times need the use of their factory. It's hard to teach a class of say 10 mechanic's the process of installing rail cushions and facings, when you only have one set of rails to work with. At the factory, my students would have at least a full day of installing cushions, recovering rails, recovering slates, leveling tables, loading tables into carts, unloading tables from carts. And they'd have a better understanding of what goes into building a table from ground up. What better place to teach?;)

In order to do what I'm wanting to do, I need a factory, and a huge back yard full of pool tables of all kinds. I'd rather start out at the factory level first, where everything is at the "Before it's screwed up" begining, then move on to how to fix tables and get them back to "Factory" conditions, then work on teaching beyond that on how to hotrod a table so to speak. :D

Glen

Glen
 
realkingcobra said:
One part of the reason I need Diamond's support, is because I at times need the use of their factory.
Click to expand...

Besides whatever you do for your own King Cobra School wouldn't it benefit Diamond to offer an in-factory seminar
(2 or 3 days) once a month with you as the instructor? Attendees pay for the instruction and then get Manufacturer Certified.

I see it as value-added for the customer and confidence for Diamond that "qualified" mechanics are installing their tables.
 
realkingcobra said:
I could go along with that, if Diamond was willing to kick me back say, $250.00 for every table I cause the sale of:D

Glen
Click to expand...


Hey You helped me choose a Diamond, so maybe you should get a kickback.

Well and the price helped... ;)
 
Price increase

For any of this to happen we have to pay more for tables and buy more tables. In other words, pool has to become more popular with the mainstream. Pool has to clean up it's act so that more people are willing to give it a try. I remember when I was young, (long time ago), the first time I hit some balls, I was hooked. Trouble is now, there's no place for young people to hit balls and their parents sure don't want them near a pool room, not to worry, not many of them left. So "rkc", what's your answer here?
 
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